The Stepmother is Unkind

On the second day of the eighth lunar month, Yin Mingyu and his ship slowly docked at the dock in Yangzhou.

At this time, it was dusk, and the afterglow rose on the river, sparkling like broken stars, until the bow.

Looking into the distance, in the reed beach, the boatman sang Yangzhou's minor tunes and rowed the boat out. After a while, the boat's canopy was hidden in the reeds.

The most unforgettable is the hometown of local accents. In the hearts of people who have left their hometowns, the style of Yangzhou is different from other places.

Mrs. Xie walked to the deck with crutches as early as the boat entered the boundary of Yangzhou, with tears in her eyes as she traced the banks of the Yangzhou River little by little.

Her ancestral home is not Yangzhou, but she was born in Yangzhou, married in Yangzhou, and she was born in Yangzhou. She spent her best years in this water town. In times of turmoil, Xie's lords were running around, and she was alone guarding the huge Xie's family. .

Now, the white-haired whirling, finally came back...

The boat was getting closer and closer to the dock. The boatman threw the anchor to stop the boat. The moment the boat was about to stop and swayed slightly, Yin Mingyu saw Mrs. Xie's tears rolling down.

Xie Ce pointed to Jiang An and cheered: "Here!"

He turned his head cheerfully, and saw the tears of his great-grandmother, with a smile on his face, and asked ignorantly, "Great-grandmother?"

Children do not know nostalgia.

There are also people who know their hometown and don't know where their hometown is.

Yin Mingyu stepped forward quietly, supported Mrs. Xie's arm, handed a handkerchief, and said softly, "Grandma, let's get off the boat."

Madam Xie took the veil, dipped her eyes lightly, patted her hand, held Xie Ce's hand again, smiled, and then pointed to the group of people on the river bank, saying, "That's the elder of the Xie family. ."

Yin Mingyu followed Mrs. Xie's line of sight to see that the group of people was at the dock where people came and went, and their temperament was really conspicuous.

Mrs. Xie said it was from the Xie family, which made sense.

The people on the two sides faced each other at a distance. The people on the shore bowed to Mrs. Xie and saluted. When Yin Mingyu and others got off the boat, they saluted again, and even a few younger ones shouted "Old Ancestor" before kneeling.

Mrs. Xie raised her hand to stop them from kneeling and bowed, and said to the old man who took the lead excitedly: "You don't have to teach the children to give a big gift, go back first, and then talk about it when you go back."

She said, and pointed to Yin Mingyu and Xie Ce, "This is Dalang's daughter-in-law and Ce'er."

My aunt was in Yangzhou before, and she was acquainted with the Xie family, so there was no special introduction.

"Second Mother, this is your third cousin, Ce'er, called Uncle Grandfather." Mrs. Xie motioned Yin Mingyu to bring Xie Ce to salute.

The head of the Xie family is far away in the capital, and the third cousin of Yangzhou is the same generation as the master of the Xie family. They are the most senior members of the Xie family except Mrs. Xie. Therefore, the affairs of the clan are all handled by the third cousin.

The gray-haired old man didn't look much younger than Madam Xie, but he was one generation behind. Yin Mingyu let go of Madam Xie's hand and listened to his aunt called "Third Cousin" first, and also brought Xie Ce to salut.

They are very eye-catching here, and the eyes around them are frequently cast, which is really inconvenient. Uncle Santang did not rush to introduce the people behind him for Yin Mingyu, but directly invited Mrs. Xie to board the carriage and go back to the ancestral house of Xie's family.

Seeing that Mrs. Xie had a lot to say to Uncle Three, Yin Mingyu sat in another carriage with his aunt and Xie Ce.

Yin Mingyu had a general understanding of some of the Xie family in Yangzhou before. It is said that unlike the capital branch, the descendants of the three Yangzhou branches are very prosperous. Some of them took their family members abroad to serve as officials, and most of them stayed in Yangzhou.

Generations marry and reproduce, and the next generation have children, and continue to reproduce when they reach adulthood.

As long as you live in Yangzhou, you have to come to see Mrs. Xie.

Mrs. Xie has been at home for many years, and she is not very clear about the younger generation she has never met. Yin Mingyu knows everything from the roster prepared by Mrs. Xie.

The roster is very thick, but it can be finished. Yin Mingyu thinks he is prepared.

But when she really arrived at the Xie family's ancestral house, she was still shocked to see the Xie family in the crowded doorway.

The Yangzhou people of the Xie family are really prosperous, and it seems that Yin Mingyu, who is standing in front of the Yangzhou people, is alone.

So this is the nutrients are given to other tribes?

Xie Ce doesn't love anyone to hold him now, he just walks by himself. At this moment, he stands on the ground and looks up at the people in front of him, only to feel that the sky seems to be darker than before.

so many people…

Xie Ce opened his mouth involuntarily.

Mrs. Xie was also confused. She had never seen or knew many of the younger generations here, but she was a senior, calm, and swept her eyes. She entered the ancestral house and picked out two familiar words.

The Xie family and their servants retreated directly, and asked Mrs. Xie to go first.

The auntie was more familiar and went directly to two middle-aged women. One asked, "Has your daughter-in-law given birth?" and the other asked, "Has your daughter seen each other?"...

There are people on both sides, and people are watching them...

Xie Ce took two steps, looked at the smiling people on both sides, slowly rubbed up to Yin Mingyu's side, raised his small hand and put it in hers, walking close to her.

In this welcoming atmosphere, Yin Mingyu shook his small hand calmly, and when he stepped into the main entrance, he also mentioned Xie Ce, who could not cross because the threshold was too high.

She mentioned that Xie Ce's posture was very elegant, and her movements were very smooth. When she put it down, Xie Ce took a natural step again, and the huge clansmen behind her did not show any surprises.

It was already dark, but the house was brightly lit, and a group of people entered the main hall through the atrium.

Yin Mingyu knew that there was still a formal recognition of relatives, so he led Xie Ce to Mrs. Xie's side and stood up. The other clansmen also sat or stood.

The people in the room, even if they didn't say a word, turned their gazes over, with silent excitement.

Yin Mingyu controlled his expression, did not teach his eyes to wander, and smiled.

Such a smile, she is very skilled.

The Xie family members met Mrs. Xie together, called the "old ancestor", and she kept her smile unchanged.

The members of the Xie family came forward to greet Yin Mingyu one by one. Yin Mingyu responded with a smile, but there were too many people. Rao was Yin Mingyu, and he felt a little stiff.

And that's not all, when she and her elders and seniors met and greeted each other, and her juniors also stepped forward to meet, Yin Mingyu realized that she was really surprised at the door of the house just now.

The middle-aged couple with slightly gray temples called her "Auntie", claiming to be the Xie family of which family.

Yin Mingyu smiled unabated, nodded, and then waved her hand to teach Jin'er Yin'er to bring a gift to her nephew and nephew who was twice her age.

The couple thanked and backed away, and two pairs of nephews and nieces in their thirties came forward.

Compared with someone in their forties, it's nothing, and they're normal.

Yin Mingyu was calm, and took the greetings from Jin'er Yin'er and sent them out one by one.

Several greeting gifts were sent one after another, and in front of Yin Mingyu there appeared several young couples who looked similar to her age.

She barely remembered the faces of the acquaintances just now, but she also remembered that there seemed to be a pair of nephews and nephews who were younger than these couples. She was swaying her thoughts, and the young people in front of her bowed down together, "Meet your cousin."

Yin Mingyu: "…"

The past is like smoke, she is under twenty years old this year, she is still very young, is she already a grandmother?

Yin Mingyu's eyes slowly fell on the bulging belly of one of the young daughters-in-law. This is... her great-grandson...

Yin Mingyu pulled a kind smile and asked, "How many months?"

The young daughter-in-law gently supported her stomach and replied shyly, "It's been five months since I returned to my cousin."

"Five months...Five months is good." Yin Mingyu nodded, looked sideways at the maid, and instructed, "I didn't know...the granddaughter-in-law is pregnant, so I'll give the unborn child a welcome gift later."

Jin'er and Yin'er stood on one side, the hand that assigned the greetings softened a little, and swallowed together, "Yes, young lady."

The young daughter-in-law declined, "Cousin, the child has not yet been born..."

Madam Xie interrupted by saying, "The gift of the elders is inescapable."

Yin Mingyu nodded with a smile, and there was no trace of a dry smile at all, "What the old lady said is that the elder's gift is inexorable."

Mrs. Xie glanced at her with a smile, raised her hand slightly, and motioned to continue.

The grandchildren behind, Yin Mingyu, listened to them being called "grandmother", and responded more and more smoothly.

And Jin'er and Yin'er also took the greetings in an orderly manner, and then dispatched them out, without a single mistake.

Finally, Yin Mingyu's confession ended, and it was Xie Ce's turn.

Xie Ce was too small, so the servant brought a chair, he sat on the high chair, and the younger generation came to visit "uncle".

It has nothing to do with myself, and I have the mood to watch the fun again.

Yin Mingyu stood aside, watching with interest the blank look on his little face.

Nanny Tong reminded softly on the side, and Xie Ce replied, asking people to get up, and then Nanny Tong and others presented the welcome gift that the Xie family had prepared for Xie Ce in advance.

But Xie Ce was a child. The person who called him "Uncle" in front of him was too old for him, so he was a little confused. When the children who were ten years old, eight years old, six or seven years old called him "Uncle", his expression changed. Get excited gradually.

For a child, there is nothing more fun than having a group of juniors who are older than him.

He even adapted faster than Yin Mingyu.

No matter how thick Yin Mingyu is, she also has the shame of an adult. She is ashamed of this.

And this circle recognized the relatives, it was very late, and the tribesmen left the ancestral house under the leadership of Uncle Three, worried that it would affect Mrs. Xie's rest.

So many people walked for a while after they left. They couldn't let Mrs. Xie and Mrs. aunt send them off, so Yin Mingyu got up and took a few steps, and then came back to look at the empty main hall, feeling a little empty for no reason.

Mrs. Xie looked tired, and was supported by her maid to get up, and said, "Let's settle it today, and talk about the rest tomorrow."

Yin Mingyu and his aunt sent Mrs. Xie back.

They walked into the corridor, and there was a lantern hanging every other section under the corridor, and the maids also held the lantern to lead the way.

Yin Mingyu looked to the side, and could see the strange stones, plants, trees and ponds nearby, but from a distance, he could only see the outline of the garden landscape. In addition to the footsteps, he could occasionally hear some water flow, perhaps the introduction of living water.

The garden was huge, and everyone walked along the winding corridor for a while, and passed through several doors before arriving at Mrs. Xie's yard.

After Yin Mingyu sent the old lady out, seeing her aunt looking at her and smiling, she turned around clearly and said to Yin'er, "Go ahead."

But Yin Mingyu also made it clear to his aunt in advance, "Aunt needs to get used to it sooner. If I set off again, Yin'er also has to follow me."

The aunt nodded, "don't worry, niece-in-law, I'll get used to it after a while."

Only then did Yin Mingyu follow the maid of the ancestral house to her yard.

Yin Mingyu was also tired after all this tossing, and gave a few simple instructions, not caring about looking at the scenery of her yard, and threw herself on the bed after hurriedly grooming.

This night, she rarely slept well. In her dream, she was also the age of Mrs. Xie, and the number of people in the Xie family had doubled. There were so many people that she couldn't fit in the hall. She couldn't see the face, and the ear All are "old ancestors", "old ancestors", "old ancestors"...

So that when Yin Mingyu was woken up by Jin'er the next day, he subconsciously touched his face, which was still smooth, and returned to reality from the dream.

Jin'er asked concernedly, "Miss, what's the matter with you?"

Yin Mingyu put down his hand and asked, "Jin'er, how many faces do you remember?"

Jin'er: "…"

She tried her best, but she couldn't.

Yin Mingyu asked again: "Can you guess that grandmother can match the faces and names of the Xie family members?"

Jin'er hesitated: "Should... can't?"

Yin Mingyu couldn't help laughing when she thought of the majestic expression on the old lady's face yesterday, but she was actually full of questions like "Who is this?"

Socializing is really tiring, but it's actually quite fun.

And when she was sitting in front of the dressing table and dressing, Jin'er pushed open the window, and the crape myrtle flowers in the courtyard and the window instantly formed a beautiful picture that came into view.

Yin Mingyu was in a trance, stood up and walked to the window to look at it. As he got closer, the picture scroll seemed to unfold.

The pink petals covered the ground, and when the wind blew, the branches of crape myrtle swayed, and another piece of petals fell, and some fell on the blue stone road in the middle, and even the stone road became a scene.

Just such a small courtyard, it is also very delicate and delicate.

Yin Mingyu was leaning against the window, living in such a place, the trouble of socializing was irrelevant.

Jin'er was behind her and said with a smile, "Ma'am, you can see it when you go out. There is another scene outside our courtyard."

Yin'er came in from the courtyard gate and saw the crape myrtle flowers in the courtyard. She was amazed for a moment, and then walked in quickly, "My lady, the maid came all the way. The flowers and trees are lush, scattered, and the pool is beautiful. You must like it very much."

Yin Mingyu didn't delay any longer, and stepped out of her yard when she was dressed properly. As expected, the scenery was different everywhere, and it taught people to linger.

She went to Mrs. Xie's place for dinner. After eating, she found out that there was nothing to do today, so she went to a water pavilion that she had just seen when she passed by. A group of koi swam over to grab them, and when they were about to disperse, they threw a few more.

The blue sky is like washing, the breeze is blowing, and it is full of comfort.

Jin'er and Yin'er also had a smile on their face.

Yin Mingyu sighed: "I originally thought about leaving after the Mid-Autumn Festival, but now I have to pass the Chongyang."

After she finished speaking, when she saw the garden scene, she paused and said, "It's not too long before the Spring Festival after Chongyang, why not spend the Spring Festival?"

Jin'er and Yin'er looked at each other and asked with a smile, "Miss, what about the beauty of Nanmeng?"

Yin Mingyu heard the words, thinking of the stunning beauty in the painting, and then looking at this beauty, it is really difficult to choose.

At this time, there was a group of children laughing and screaming from the other side of the pool, and there were faint sheep barking.

Yin Mingyu, the master and the servant, looked up and saw no one at first. After a while, they saw Xie Ce leading her sheep, followed by a bunch of children from the clan, walking lively.

Xie Ce saw Yin Mingyu at a glance, waved at her cheerfully, and shouted, "Mother!"

The other children looked at Yin Mingyu and stopped a little cautiously.

Yin Mingyu glanced at Chi Shui, and because of Xie Ce's size, it would be impossible to fall down, so he turned around and told Jin'er to tell her to remind people to take care of Xie Ce.

However, as far as they were talking, the other end suddenly exclaimed.

Yin Mingyu immediately got up and looked over. He didn't expect that it was neither Xie Ce nor other children, but her sheep accidentally fell into the pool.

Xie Ce was hugged tightly by Nanny Tong and couldn't get close to the pool, so he shouted in a hurry, "Sheep! Sheep!"

The other children were also lying on the corridor guardrail, watching the fallen sheep nervously and worriedly.

And the sheep fluttered a few times, then swam in the pond and went straight to the grass in the stone crevice on one side.

Yin Mingyu's heart fell, looking at the gluttonous sheep, very suspicious that it "falled" because it coveted the grass by the pond.

And Xie Ce and the group of children saw the sheep actually swimming, and they all huddled together in novelty.

After a while, the sheep bleated and asked someone to pull it up, and the children all came to the waterside where Yin Mingyu was.

Suddenly, a large group of children called "grandmother", Yin Mingyu couldn't tell who they were for a while, and he couldn't help but think of the dream last night, and he felt the noise doubled.

She usually likes to tease children, and she can't stand it at this time. After finding an excuse, she hurriedly left this place and went to hide elsewhere.

Fortunately, these children were not allowed to have two days to spare, so they were ordered by their elders to go back to study. Yin Mingyu simply suggested to Mrs. Xie and threw Xie Ce over as well. This time, they were only clean for two days.

They had only returned for a few days, when the families in Yangzhou City learned that Mrs. Xie and Yin Mingyu were here, and the invitations were sent to the ancestral house one after another.

Mrs. Xie didn't come back to be disturbed, but some family friends were not easy to ignore, and some people who were very close went directly to the ancestral house to meet.

Some things that she couldn't shirk and didn't want to see, let Yin Mingyu go out to participate.

Yin Mingyu is the daughter-in-law of the Prime Minister of the Right, Xie Qin was sent to Lingnan, and the official rank is also the fourth rank. Therefore, in this Yangzhou social scene, he is quite flattered. Even if he has a high official rank, he is also very polite to her.

The gardens of each family in Yangzhou have different scenery. Yin Mingyu, with the heart to come out and enjoy the scenery, often leaves and returns happily.

At a banquet in a certain family, Yin Mingyu also met people from the Bai family.

People from the Bai family came to chat, Yin Mingyu thought about his aunt and cousin, and his attitude was quite ordinary.

After returning, when she said that she had seen the people from the Bai family, the auntie immediately jumped up like a cockfight, and threatened to go out to a banquet with Yin Mingyu next time.

"Next time, the Mid-Autumn Festival will be a few days later, and the Governor of Yangzhou has invited us to appreciate the dragon lantern."

"That's right, I'm going to prepare clothes and jewelry, and niece-in-law, you will also take out all the most fashionable things in the capital and dress them up."

After the auntie finished speaking, she told Mrs. Xie to retire and prepare.

Mrs. Xie was too lazy to care about her.

Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, the ancestral house received letters and boxing from the capital city and Lingnan successively.

Yin Mingyu unfolded Xie Qin's painting and saw that the painting looked like a living Butterfly Valley. He was fascinated by it, very indifferent, and changed his mind. He decided to go south after the Spring Festival.

Mrs. Xie felt even more distressed that her grandson was alone in Lingnan. Hearing her erratic back and forth, she immediately rushed out: "You will set off after the Mid-Autumn Festival, and teach me to be more quiet."

"..." Yin Mingyu agreed aggrievedly, "Yes, grandmother."

If she was really unhappy, she might have to think of some ways to mess with it.

Mrs. Xie rolled her eyes at her, turned to Mrs. aunt, and asked, "What do you think about the marriage that you know?"

Mrs. Xie from the capital sent a letter to choose two good families for Bai Zhixu. She did not make a direct decision on which one to book, but wrote to ask Mrs. Gu, her mother.

Without thinking about it, the auntie said, "I don't have an opinion, it's up to my sister-in-law to choose."

Mrs. Xie calmed her breath and said solemnly, "You know Xu's mother, can you say that?"

The auntie said carelessly: "My sister-in-law is more reliable than me, and the people you choose will definitely be excellent. No matter how bad it is, it is better to let Xu know that he can choose by himself. It is better than asking me."

Mrs. Xie: "...you really know yourself..."

The aunt's expression was complacent, and Mrs. Xie was even more speechless.

Yin Mingyu chuckled.

Madam Xie caught her laughing, and immediately said, "It's best to take her away together!"

Yin Mingyu immediately stopped laughing to show that she was definitely in the same heart as Mrs. Xie, and was definitely not watching a joke.

The most important thing is that there is a new beauty waiting for her in Lingnan. The auntie is a bit annoying, so let's stay in Yangzhou and look forward to Yangzhou.

Lingnan—

Xie Qin also received a gift from the capital and Yin Mingyu before the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the Xie family did not forget that Chu He was in South Vietnam, and also prepared a gift for him.

It was Chu He, who was obviously from Yangzhou, but his family's boxing was not as fast as the Xie family's capital.

But he didn't care either. Taking the boxing gift from the Xie family, he invited Xie Qin to have a drink with the moon on the Mid-Autumn Festival night.

Xie Qin did not reject the Mid-Autumn Festival appointment, but denied Chu He's claim that he was "alone". He has a wife and son, and sooner or later there will be a day of reunion. Unlike Chu He, he is really alone.

Chu He: "…"

Although he was used to being unruly, he could teach his friends that he was still stabbed in the chest.

In Lingnan, only Han people celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, and other ethnic groups do not celebrate this festival.

Therefore, on the day of Mid-Autumn Festival, all ethnic groups live as usual, and this day is not special.

For example, on the only way to enter South Vietnam, there are a group of people conscientiously hiding in the hidden places in the mountains and forests.

"Snapped!"

The large dark hand clapped on the thigh, and he took it away, and a huge mosquito with half an inch of wings outstretched on the sturdy leg.

"Snapped!"

The man raised his hand and slapped the person in front of him on the back again, causing him to stagger.

The person in front turned back and roared, "What are you doing?!"

The man behind spread his hands and said, "There are mosquitoes..."

When the person in front saw it, it itched immediately, scratched up and down, and scolded: "Damn, when will the wife and children of Xie Governor come, we have been waiting for two months!"

Someone looked up at the gloomy sky and said with a frown, "It's going to rain, why don't we find a place to hide from the rain?"

"No! What if we miss it as soon as we walk away? How can I explain it to the young patriarch?"

A group of people had to fold the banana leaves and put them on their heads, enduring all kinds of bugs that kept coming out because of the rain, and continued to watch bitterly.